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Australia and New Zealand keen to revive TPP

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US withdrawal opens door for China to join trade pact

WELLINGTON/TOKYO: Australia and New Zealand said yesterday that they hope to salvage the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) by encouraging China and other Asian nations to join the trade pact after US President Donald Trump kept his promise to pull out of the accord.

The TPP, which the US had signed but not ratified, was a pillar of former US President Barack Obama's pivot to Asia. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has touted it as an engine of economic reform, as well as a counterweight to a rising China, which is not a TPP member.

Fulfilling a campaign pledge, Mr Trump signed an executive order on Monday pulling the US out of the 2015 TPP agreement, distancing his country from its Asian allies.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he had held discussions with Mr Abe, New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong overnight about the possibility of proceeding with the TPP without the US.

"Losing the United States from the TPP is a big loss," Mr Turnbull said yesterday.

"But we are not about to walk away... certainly there is potential for China to join the TPP."

Mr Obama framed TPP without China in an effort to write Asia's trade rules before Beijing could, establishing US economic leadership in the region as part of his "pivot to Asia".

China has proposed a counter pact, the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP) and has championed the South-east Asian-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Mr English said the US was ceding influence to China and the region's focus could switch to alternative trade deals.

"We've got this RCEP agreement with South-east Asia, which up till now has been on a bit of a slow burn, but we might find the political will for that to pick up if TPP isn't going to proceed," he said.

There is potential for China to join the TPP. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull

Malaysia's trade minister said negotiators from the remaining TPP countries would be in "constant communication" to decide the best way forward.

"Notwithstanding the current position of the new US Administration on (TPP), we will continue to engage with our American colleagues to strengthen our bilateral trade and economic relations, given the US' importance as our third largest trading partner and a major source of investment," Mr Mustapa Mohamed said.

The TTP, which has been five years in the making, requires ratification by at least six countries accounting for 85 per cent of the combined gross domestic product of the member nations.

Australia held open the possibility of China joining a revised deal. "The original architecture was to enable other countries to join," Australian Trade Minister Steven Ciobo told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"Certainly I know that Indonesia has expressed interest and there would be scope for China if we are able to reformulate it.". - REUTERS

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